tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16758511956584859452024-03-04T23:41:29.902-08:00Joanne Efendi: Not Just Another Self Published AuthorMy journey and thoughts of my pursuit in achieving my life long dream of becoming a published author.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-54843772548383294832015-10-02T16:37:00.002-07:002015-10-10T06:33:12.968-07:00EVERNIGHT BIRTHDAY BASHI'm super excited to participate in my first ever blog hop. Don't know what I'm doing but I'll just wing it. It's what I do best, ask anyone who knows me lol<br />
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Evernight's 5th Birthday Blog Celebration
Evernight Celebrates 5 Years of Publishing!<br />
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Thanks to readers like you, Evernight Publishing has grown by leaps and bounds in five years so they’re pulling out all the stops and throwing an extreme BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION BLOG HOP in your honor!<br />
That’s right! It’s Evernight’s birthday but YOU get the presents…
Prizes include:
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Apple Watch Sport </div>
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NEW Kindle Paperwhite </div>
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Fitbit Flex
Evernight, </div>
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Amazon, and</div>
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ARe Gift Certificates </div>
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Plus, each author on the hop will offer his/her own special prize!
As my special pressie to Evernight readers, I'll give away not one, BUT two ecopies of Freefall (when it's available of course. Did I mention its coming out on Oct 8th!! YEW!! ***COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AT RANDOM AND NOTIFIED BY EMAIL. JENNY SCHABER AND KAISQUARED CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR DETAILS***<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1675851195658485945" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>BONUS ENTRIES: Be sure to comment at EVERY stop!
The more comments you post, the more entries you will receive for our GRAND PRIZES (limit one bonus comment entry per stop).<br />
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It’s a great time for an Evernight shopping spree because all Evernight titles are 25% off through October 9th at <a href="https://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?sortBy=recentlyAdded&searchBy=publisher&qString=Evernight+Publishing" target="_blank">AllRomance eBooks</a>!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/fdb586fd60/">https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/fdb586fd60/</a></span></div>
<!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=261786" type="text/javascript"></script><!-- end LinkyTools script -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-87734622494881510372015-10-02T15:43:00.002-07:002015-10-02T15:43:38.223-07:00TWO RELEASES IN ONE PERECT MONTHThis month is a busy one for me, even busier than the last which was taken up edits and rewrites for my two MS. October, will see me become, not once, but a dual published author!!<br />
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Freefall, with Evernight Publishing, (if you follow me on Facebook you would have noticed that Freefall was signed to this amazing publisher a couple of months back. God knows I neglect this blog) is out on October 8th 2015, and Illuminated Darkness is finally back on October 17th 2015 with a new and improved but slightly similar cover. The story is the same, but only better!!<br />
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Keep an eye out for my buy links. I can wait to share my work with you. xxAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-3574556789931188972015-04-05T16:09:00.000-07:002015-04-05T16:15:36.953-07:00FREEFALLThis past long weekend has given me the opportunity get reacquainted with a manuscript I've had on the go for the past 12 months or so. If you've read my blogs in the past, then you know how easily I'm distracted, so this writing time frame should not come as a shock! In my own defense, I have been writing other stuff :) Anyway, it's really not far from being finished and I thought it was about time it was, as I have a whole series planned ahead...and another one waiting in the wings! Hopefully, I'll have this one published by the end of the year. I can't wait for you to read it. It's a New Adult Contemporary Romance titled Freefall, and it's everything I love to read. I hope you'll feel the same.<br />
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So... let me introduce you to Levi and Andi: Levi is a twenty-five year old skydiver, and the illegitimate son of an Australian publishing magnate. He has a troubled past and is struggling to come to grips with his father's unwanted presence in his life. He wants nothing more to get him out of his life, and will do almost anything to achieve it. Andi is a twenty-one year old Costco cashier, and comes from a loving, somewhat suffocating, traditional Italian American family. She feels lost in life and has no direction, and unbeknownst to her family and friends is in a deep depression and often seeks solace in the bottom of a Vodka bottle. That is until she meets Levi, and she falls instantly for his Aussie charm. He makes her feel alive. But can their fledgling relationship survive their different backgrounds, and the meddling of Levi's father, who refuses to let his son go?<br />
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Read on for an excerpt of Chapter One from Freefall:<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">LEVI<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">My head was pounding.
Actually pounding wasn't exactly the most accurate word I could use. There was
also: throbbing, pulsating, thudding, thumping. It felt like someone had taken
a hammer to my skull in the middle of the night and it was split in two. It was
all self inflicted of course, so I couldn't even afford myself some pity. In
two words: Excruciating hangover. My eyes were glued shut tight and my mouth
felt like I had chowed down on a bucket of sawdust. I couldn't even be sure I
had a good night. My memory of the night was very, very hazy. All things
considered though, if my head was this sore, it must have been legendary.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 42.55pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">I
needed water. Maybe I could do without it and just rollover and go back to
sleep this almighty hangover off. Unfortunately my dry foul tasting mouth had
other ideas. It felt like I was breathing out deadly toxic fumes. Perhaps if I
just cracked one eye, enough to see where I was going, I could get to my
bathroom to brush my teeth. I gave myself a pep talk in preparation for the big
move; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You can do this</i>, and I
practically dragged my sorry naked ass to my bathroom. My head felt like it was
about to cave in. I needed something to take the edge of this headache. While
gripping the basin with one hand for support I quickly washed my face and
brushed my teeth, and after relieving myself, I then shuffled my way into the
kitchen for some life saving fluids and some ibuprofen.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 42.55pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Fuck.
It must have been one hell of a party. The condo was trashed. Empty bottles of
beer and tequila were strewn from one end to the other. The place smelt like
bar and stale cigarette smoke. An unknown semi naked male and female couple
were still passed out on my couch. I didn’t smoke but judging by the unsmoked
joints lined up on the coffee table, my guests liked to
light up more than just camels. I spied a pair of black Calvin Klein boxer
briefs on the floor and recognized them as my own. I hadn’t remembered whipping
them off during the night and slipped them back on in case my guests happened
to wake up. Party rule 101: It’s one thing to show your junk during the
festivities while under the influence, but it’s never acceptable to release the
dragon the morning after. Unless of course you happen to be in bed with a
member of the opposite sex who is also naked and willing to partake in a
morning after sex session. And seeing as I woke up alone, the boxers had to go
on. I squinted at the couple that were passed out on top of each other on my
couch. Damn who were these people? It appears I had found a rent a crowd in my
travels last night. Screw it. I’d deal with them later.</span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 42.55pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">I
continued to the kitchen and guzzled two large glasses of water and threw down
a couple of ibuprofen tablets to take the edge off this headache. Food would
also go down a treat right now. What I would have given for a dish of greasy
bacon and eggs. Unfortunately I had no food in my condo and even if I did, I
doubted I had the energy to cook. I looked in the refrigerator just in case a
magic food fairy had come during the night and left me a gift. Nope, empty. Not
even any beer was left. It appears my guests had thoroughly enjoyed my
hospitality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left; text-indent: 42.55pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">What a
hell of a housewarming. Mission accomplished. Trash my asshole father’s condo.
Next stage, make him pissed. With my ibuprofen yet to start to kick in, I went
back into my room and dialed my father’s number. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span">
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-11657239939178858822015-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:002015-01-08T19:20:46.605-08:00NEW YEAR NEW ME AND ALL THAT JAZZ2014 has left the building so to speak. For me 2014 was a big year of learning about the writing and publishing business. I never thought it was going to be such an eye opening journey of ups and downs. I started the year as Just Another Self Published Author with the dream of being signed by a publishing house, and ended the year with a signed contract with a small boutique Indie publishing house based in the US called Black Opal Books (BOB). <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Yes you heard correctly. I am officially a contracted author! Now that everything has been signed sealed and delivered I feel I can finally announce the news and the name of my publisher. Time to break out the champagne and celebrate. I have been hesitant in sharing my news, as a small part of me has been thinking that at anytime BOB will have realized they made a mistake and rescind their offer. Too late now, they've invited me to their Yahoo Group Boards! So what does this contract mean? It means another year of edits, hopefully less, as I had Stephen Ormsby, an awesome editor and owner of Australian publishing house Satalyte Publishing do a complete re-haul of Illuminated Darkness. Same story, same plot, there have just been a few tweaks to my writing that I'm confident makes the story all that much more better. However BOB need to have their edit team go over it as well. Soooo, I'm super excited for you to read the new version, but you will have to wait! Once my edits arrive it will be a rather long process, but I'm hoping it will be ready by the end of 2015 for publishing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now that I am Not Just Another Self Published Author, I just want to say that I'm not opposed to self publishing. Without self publishing Illuminated Darkness first, I would not have had the journey I had last year. I have learnt some very valuable lessons and have gained some great advice. Will I self publish again? Yes without a doubt, I would do it in a heart beat. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now my initial dream of signing a contract has come to fruition, it's time for a new goal, a new book and new ideas.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay tuned, 2015 is the year of me :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-57127211732188911562014-12-13T14:26:00.001-08:002014-12-13T14:26:07.712-08:00SECOND CHANCES ARE TIED IN PINK. DEDICATIONS FOR A BREAST CANCER ANTHOLOGYRecently a very close friend of mine underwent some serious breast cancer surgery. One minute she was healthy, holidaying with her family and enjoying what her life and future had to offer, then the next minute, after a routine scan, she heard those words: "I'm sorry, but you have cancer." A few short weeks later, she was in hospital having life saving surgery, and Boxing Day saw her start months of chemo and radiation treatment. But not once did she complain and ask "why me?" She is one tough chick! Even when 'the red devil' was burning it's way through her veins, killing all the cancer cells in it's wake, she didn't complain. It was merely a means to the end. And then there were the days after chemo, when she couldn't lift her head off the pillow. But still she didn't complain. Not to mention when she couldn't eat because of mouth and stomach ulcers from the treatment, or the hot flushes she was experiencing because of the hormone therapy. And in her true spirit and nature, it was only when coffee started to taste different, that she cursed cancer, and was concerned that she would never be able to enjoy coffee again. Not the fact that she was now wearing scarves because she was bald, or all her eyebrows and eyelashes had fallen out and chemo was leaking from her eyes, but that coffee no longer tasted good! (fear not, we experimented and found that week two after chemo was the best time for coffee and burgers. And didn't we take advantage of it!)<br />
<br />
Through the whole ordeal, she stayed strong. It was only part way through her chemo that I saw a glimpse of her true suffering. And even then, all she said to me was: "I'm sick of having to be strong." I couldn't even go to her and see her that day, as I was sick with a head cold. Not that I was being pitiful, 'wah wah I'm sick', but, I had to stay away. The risk of her catching my cold was too great.<br />
<br />
To her very credit and strength, the next day, she picked herself up and dusted herself off, and said, "Let's get on with it." And that she did. She came out the otherside. Her hair has returned, and thankfully, her tastebuds have too! She is back into coffee and chocolate with avengence. She is also back running and swimming, but in someone that has only truely been in her place can understand, life looks all that bit different. Trivial things that would have once been a priority, now take a back burner.<br />
<br />
She has been given a second chance, and that is why I wrote my short story 'Second Chance' for 'Tied In Pink' a breast cancer anthology. My story was written for you Shaz. Now is your time, to do what YOU want to do but never had the courage.<br />
<br />
I implore everyone to go buy 'Tied In Pink', because every time someone buys it, funds are donated, and it gives someone else with breast cancer the opportunity to have their second chance.<br />
<br />
'Tied In Pink' is available for purchase on Amazon.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-64069893495698003142014-08-02T03:15:00.000-07:002015-03-28T04:17:49.979-07:00BEST SELLER AND BAD REVIEWSSo, I had my first one star review this week. Probably couldn't have come at a worse time. I'm really hormonal today! I've actually written and rewritten this blog about ten times, not wanting to come across as too soft or too thin skinned. Take a deep breath Jo, it's not personal. After all she said she wanted to like your book, she just couldn't, because well...she thought it sucked! I thought I was prepared for this, I really did, but obviously I'm not. Or maybe it<i> is</i> just my raging female hormones.<br />
<br />
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and certainly free to speak their own minds. I mean, we are all different, and if we all liked the same thing wouldn't life be boring? Illuminated Darkness might not be for everyone, and I'm certainly not going to judge you if you don't like my style of writing, my characters or can't read it because you think it has no value. Hell, my own family (except my mother) haven't even read it. So don't read it if you don't like YA Paranormal Romance. I've never marketed it as anything else other than romance fiction.<br />
<br />
But I have to thank my blogger friend. After me bitching and whining to anyone that will listen to me today, (thank you friends and family and online support groups for thin skinned authors) I have more drive to succeed and more determination than before. My blogger friend compared Illuminated Darkness to Twilight. WOW! I could only hope to be as half as successful as Stephenie Meyer. What a comparison! If you know me, then you will know how much I loved these books (pre movie, lets always remember that I was on board BEFORE the hype).<br />
<br />
So, instead of focusing on one bad review, I will focus on the fact that I have sold enough copies of Illuminated Darkness for it to be a best seller on AmazonAU Childrens & Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. I will focus on at least twenty other people I know, asking when the sequel will be finished (soon, it's my next project. Promise). I will focus on that fact I actually wrote a book! I accomplished something that I had been wanting to do for 20 years.<br />
<br />
I love to write, and I will continue to write, because I love to write for me!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-16180763545580368832014-03-22T21:13:00.004-07:002014-03-22T21:13:44.880-07:00BLOGGER WRITERS BLOCK AND THE ART OF SELF PROMOTIONI have a confession. It's been over a month since my last blog. I didn't mean for it to be so long in between blogs, but it kinda just happened. I swore to myself that when I started this page it wouldn't be just a couple of blogs and then left to waste with no updates. But this, sadly is what has happened to me. It's not that I haven't wanted to blog, I have, I just wanted to make sure what I wrote was worthwhile and meaningful. After all, as an author, I need to ensure that what I write is always engaging and entertaining. Anything less than that I would be doing a disservice to myself and my readers. In order to create an entertaining blog, I need an entertaining topic. One that I think will engage readers and promote awareness of myself and my book. Finding a topic is harder than it sounds. It's not like when I write fiction. As a dreamer, pictures and words are always flowing through my mind. In fact I currently have four manuscripts on the go, all partially written, ranging from 16,000 words to 1600 words, and at least three other story ideas written down. Each and every single story line is different, ranging from Contemporary Adult, New Adult, Young Adult Contemporary and even a couple of Middle School ideas. So story ideas aren't the problem (finishing them is, but I might leave that one until the next blog. That way I have a new topic).<br />
I subscribe to a number of different author pages, and to be honest they love to self promote and will blog so much that it kinda gets monotonous. Blog tours, blog hosting, guest blogger etc etc. Is there such a thing as too much? I've even unsubscribed from some pages because of their over sharing. Would worthwhile sporadic blogs and updates be more effective than posting blogs every week and Facebook updates three to four times a day about word count or who they have been signed to this week? I know it's important to self promote, but where is the happy medium? Is market saturation a good thing? I've read so many articles in pro blogging and just as many anti. Is blogging even necessary when we have other forms of media such as Facebook or Twitter? So many questions, that I'm sure through time I will learn.<br />
Promotion for a newly self published author is a full time gig, especially when said author (me) has another job, a family and a time consuming past time. I forget how many times I've stumbled onto a new author and fell in love with their work and then went to their webpage, or blog page to find out more about them and their work, but then was greatly disappointed when their page hadn't been updated for one to two months, or on the flip side, they have blogged so much I haven't wanted to read past the first couple of entries. But every person is different in what they want and expect from their online experience. So I guess for now, I'll continue on my road of self promotion, which means I'll see you in another month when hopefully I have something important and engaging to discuss.<br />
In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on blogging and posting.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-55222716119352287592014-02-08T23:56:00.000-08:002014-02-08T23:56:57.879-08:00BUTTERFLIES AND FIRST LOVE
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-AU;">Do you believe in love
at first sight? I do. Maybe that’s because I’m a true romantic at heart. Those
that know me might scoff at that statement, but it’s true. I love the thought
of a Happy Ever After. With Valentines Day this week, I know there will be millions
of girls or guys dreaming of a rose or a valentine from their true love. Who
hasn’t at one time in their life dreamt of being swept off their feet by their Mr
or Miss Right? Let me be presumptuous and answer that: None. Numerous movies
and love songs can attest to my statement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love makes the world go around or to quote the Beatles: 'All
we need is love'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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There is something so sweet about falling in love for the first time. It’s said you will always remember your first love. <span> </span>As I’m writing this now, memories are flooding back to me. Immense happiness, crushing sadness and lots of good stuff in between. Not everyone is destined to be with his or her first love forever, but you will always have those sweet memories. </div>
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I guess that why I
love to read and write Young Adult Romance. It’s innocent, uncomplicated and sweet. It’s
all about falling in love for the first time, meeting your ‘soul mate’ and having that HEA. I remember being a teenager, everything was heightened; feelings are so intense that when you meet
‘The One’, you fall and you fall hard. I’m not talking about crushes or
infatuation, I’m talking about that person, that when you meet, everything and
everyone else ceases to exist except you and ‘The One’. </div>
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More often than not,
first love is an instant attraction. Love at first sight. Your eyes lock and
you just know that person is the one for you. Butterflies flicker in your stomach and that person becomes the centre of your universe. Clichéd, sure, but that’s how it
happens, in fiction and reality. I think it has been scientifically proven that love at first sight
happens, but that’s unromantic. I prefer to think of it as destiny. One soul destined to meet another, written and determined before those souls had been born on earth. I guess it easy to see why I write young adult romance. Throw in some paranormal characters, and you have my perfect novel.</div>
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As we grow up and
mature, love can be hard and complicated. It’s not as straightforward as young
love, and there isn’t always that HEA ending that we dream of. On those days, I pull out my iPad and write or grab one of my favourite YA books, and immerse myself in that innocence and first love butterflies. I hope this
Valentines Day you are with someone special, and its as sweet as the first time
you fell in love. And there are butterflies, lots of butterflies.</div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-21386766178195365402014-01-26T16:16:00.000-08:002014-01-26T16:16:01.343-08:00INSPIRATIONS AND DISTRACTIONS. SQUIRREL.
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Perhaps
I should sub title this post: distractions, distractions and more distractions.
It’s officially just over two weeks since my last blog (why does this sound like an AA meeting?). I started this particular post two
weeks ago, but it has taken until today to finish it. I have many excuses to
myself for being late: It was my birthday; We went away; I started back at
work; I have to train; It was my sons birthday; I did a 10km running race; It
was Australia Day; I was tired. In case you haven’t noticed the theme: I am easily
distracted (or the Queen of procrastination).</div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">There's
a famous movie line from the family animated movie 'Up' by Pixar, in which Dug
the Dog is having a moment with the old man, and bam, he is distracted,
squirrel. Most days I am like that. I'll be having a book moment; I'll have
come up with a new story line or character development on a book I'm writing,
and bam, squirrel. I might be on my iPhone researching something in particular,
say for example, a town the character lives in, and next thing I know, I've
gone completely off topic and I'm looking up holiday destinations! Or I'll be
writing, a scene has just popped in my head. I frantically type, however, I
need to make sure my facts are correct and look it up on line, squirrel, I'd
better check my Facebook.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">That
would have to be one my biggest distractions by far, Facebook! I say that like
an expletive. I've often contemplated deleting my account, but in our society
that relies so heavily on social media to promote and sell, right now I can't
afford to. My scenario goes like this: I'm inspired for a new story or a character idea has popped into my head. I open Safari and google, next thing I know, I get a Facebook notification. I open the Facebook app up on my phone, read the notifications, scroll through my news feed, read some 'interesting' articles, close it, put down the phone.
Minutes later, pick up my phone again, open Facebook, do some stalking, read
some comments, and close it again. This could go on for about 2 hours, oh
doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun! This doesn't just happen when I'm writing either. Most times, I do this when I really
don't want to do something, say for example, housework, or balance the accounts
for end of month, or even write a two-week late book blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Have I just had a squirrel moment? Back to topic. Inspiration
often comes to me late at night, when I’m in bed, getting ready to go to sleep.
I have no idea why my mind is most creative at that time of night, but it’s
almost always around 10.30pm. I’ll have turned off the light, and an idea will
hit me. I write everything on my iPad, so I keep it beside my bed in case of
emergency inspiration. It’s most inconvenient to write at that time of night,
not because I’m distracting anyone, but because I’ll be writing and trying to
keep my eyes open. My brain wants to keep writing, but my body has other ideas.
Hence why there are always words missing from my text! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Inspiration
might also come to me in dream. Like most people, I have some weird and
wonderful dreams. In fact a major scene in Illuminated Darkness was pretty much
a dream scene that I have written near word-to-word of what happened. Another
example is an unfinished manuscript that I’ve been working on for the past few
months is actually based on a dream I had. It was so real that I when I woke I was
actually sad that I couldn’t continue it on (in fact I think I had stayed in
bed that little bit extra that morning to replay the dream) then later that
evening I started to write it on my iPad. But you know how it goes: idea,
research, squirrel. Needless to say, it is only a quarter of the way done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">I’m
so good at distractions that this blog in itself is a distraction for what I
need to do. I have work in my home office that needs to be done and I have a two-month
deadline for a new YA novel that I’ve been working on (not sure how I’m going
to get that done). At least I’m not on Facebook! Hang on, I have to log on to
post this blog. Hmmm, did anyone say squirrel?</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP0-ZjoeZ0sYr5bWH0_6svUXD5hXMjfn3mz6nYGUbYFuUMuS9xz722HzQ8WQ0A6QLcPQvWal5Un5bRUR7aD-0THSIDjghw1-JhIPu5McQPLtXrMNJ8zNcuWpnS-NfhHK1WpZohxSn_LHq/s1600/funny-Dug-Up-dog-squirrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP0-ZjoeZ0sYr5bWH0_6svUXD5hXMjfn3mz6nYGUbYFuUMuS9xz722HzQ8WQ0A6QLcPQvWal5Un5bRUR7aD-0THSIDjghw1-JhIPu5McQPLtXrMNJ8zNcuWpnS-NfhHK1WpZohxSn_LHq/s1600/funny-Dug-Up-dog-squirrel.jpg" height="320" width="237" /></a></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-25114063733530279332014-01-11T16:02:00.001-08:002014-01-11T16:02:20.362-08:00WRITING IS THE EASY PART
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<br />
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All
my friends keep telling me, 'Great job, what an accomplishment!' They would all
ask, 'How did you do it?' and then say to me, 'I've always wanted to write a
book, but it seems too hard.' When they say these things, I have to stop and
think to myself, 'Yes, how did I do it?' To be honest, some days were harder
than others to put my mind on task and get the writing done (hence, the long
time it took me to complete it), but now it's written and out there, I'm
starting to think, writing is the easy part! Let me explain.</div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I've
written the next best seller (in my mind anyway), and it's only taken me the best part of over three
years of on and off writing and rewriting. If I could describe to you the
feeling of satisfaction I had when I typed the last words of the final
sentence, I would say it was similar to graduating University, but better. The
hard work was over, now it was time to publish my book and enjoy the results of
my labour. Time to plan the book launch: cocktails and champagne overlooking
the beach on a full moon (my latest daydream. See my previous post to understand my daydream tendencies). My book was to be released in a couple of weeks, or so
I thought. Now I realize, looking back, how delusional I really was.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
I continue, allow me to ask this. Who hasn't finished a book by their favorite
author, knowing a sequel was on the way, only to be told you had to wait a
year? A whole year! Why didn't the author simply get their act together and
write the thing and give it to us fans? Because now I understand, it's not that
simple. Once I sent my manuscript away to my chosen publisher, I felt a void
inside of me. This book had been a part of me for so long, to not have to write
it anymore or put my head in the story, I felt lost. Never to get inside these
characters heads again. But then the publisher contacted me. Time to revise.
The copy editor had made changes. Errors had been corrected and suggestions
made. Time to rewrite. Back to the editor, and then again, and again, the
process repeated. After three lots of rewrites it was time to print, and the
mock ups sent. </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Excited,
with my book in hand, I open it up and begin to read, thoughts of my awesome
book launch now back in the picture. But wait! What's this? Errors on the cover
and more inside (not to mention the major stuff up by the publisher, but I won't go there!). Back to the rewrites. Ugh! Two
more times this happens, and now, after seven long months since my initial
contact with my publisher, and numerous back and forths between us both, my book is finally available online, and thats with me pushing it to get published. I've
never been an overly patient person! </span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> Now it's time to get promoting and marketing, of which I have no idea how this industry works, so I've been spending a lot of time researching. Needless to say, I'm getting frustrated. I have more stories I want to write, new characters that are needing to be
heard. So next time I hear someone say to me, 'I've always wanted to write a
book,' I will now say to them, 'Writing is the easy part, its the publishing
that is hard.'</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally,
let me just say here, that it was 100% my choice to self publish, and this is
my experience as a result. I wanted full control over the
publishing aspect. Just simply discussing my thoughts on the
writing and publishing process. Next time, I may choose a different avenue to
publish. With the popularity of ebooks, there are many self publishing platforms available to independent authors. My one tip I will be sure to follow for myself next time is to pay for an independent editor so these multiple changes by
myself can be avoided!</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1675851195658485945.post-34378662377975836312014-01-05T22:15:00.000-08:002014-01-05T22:15:37.865-08:00NOT ANOTHER VAMPIRE NOVEL
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<br />
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I'm
a bit of a daydreamer. Always have been, always will be. My elementary and high
school reports would always have comments from teachers that would say 'Joanne
is very capable of achieving better marks, if only she would stop daydreaming
in class,' or something along those lines anyway. I remember sitting in class
one hot summer day, after a particularly active lunch break, (and if any of you
have ever experienced summer in Queensland then you would know how hot and
sticky it can get) laying my head on my desk and watching the giant gum trees
rustle in the wind outside my classroom window. I didn't go to sleep, but
instead I let my mind wander and daydream. I can't remember what I was
daydreaming about, but knowing me back then, it was mostly about being a famous
basketball player. I was eleven at the time and lived and breathed basketball.</div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
didn't have to just be at school to daydream. I would always make up stories of
what I would do when I was rich and famous (in fact it's something I still do
now). As I grew older, my passions changed, and so did my daydreams. The books
I read, and I used to read ALOT, also changed from Archie comics, fairytales
and kids mystery books to high school love stories. Not content with reading
about the female character that always got the guy in the end, I would find
myself daydreaming that I was that girl who got the guy. But my dreams were
never enough, so I started writing short stories that would involve me and my
current crush. Shortly there after, I started receiving requests from school
friends to write them a story. Sometimes, these requests would even include the
same guy I was crushing on! (This was the start of my dream to write stories
for a living) Sometimes I think about those stories and wonder if any of the
guys I wrote about back then knew. My inner 15 year old cringes at the thought!</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
was around this time that I also discovered vampires!!! I instantly fell in
love with them. To me, there was always that attraction to the bad guy, that
was struggling to be good. My favorites at the time were The Lost Boys and Bram
Stokers Dracula. Classic movies of that era. In fact I think I watched the
former movie over 100 times, bought the soundtrack and had numerous Jason
Patrick posters on my wall. I even made my parents buy me a pair of Rayban
sunglasses that he wore. Obsessed much? I used to climb on the roof at night
and daydream about a vampire coming for me. This was only the start of my
obsession. Next came the mid 90's and the next resurgence of vampire movies and
books. It was around this time I read everything that Anne Rice wrote, and
watched the book to movie adaptations, and fell in love with Angel from Buffy
the Vampire Slayer (tv series). I'm even ashamed to admit that as a 20
something year old, I would still have those daydreams about vampires.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
2000's saw another reinvention of vampire stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, along with thousands of others, fell in love with Edward
and Twilight. By this time, I was married and already had two children, and too
busy to read, so I was late to the series, picking it up when the final book
was released (pre movie release, lets make that one clear lol). My husband
would frequently complain every time I picked up a book that no one could
communicate with me until I finished it. But when I read a review on the book
and series in general, I just knew I had to read it. And that I did. I read all
the books, cover to cover, about three times in a row. Then came the movies and
other vampire books, and my obsession with all things vampire reignited.</span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
I hear you say, 'Illuminated Darkness, not another vampire novel!' Most would
assume I've just jumped on the bandwagon of the current trends and of vampires
and witches all things supernatural. But for me, as you've just read, vampires
have been in my blood (pun intended) for 25 years! Wren is MY vampire, and is
how I've always pictured him, since I was a 15 year old high school girl
waiting for him at night on my roof. It's just taken me this long to finally
share him with everyone else. And even though Ash isn't me, she shares some of
my traits, so I guess, in a way, this is my vampire that has finally come for
me. So, maybe to you this is a just another vampire novel, but to me, it's my
daydream finally coming true.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512652013900657451noreply@blogger.com0